Belgo Noord

“Then the real design problem was set: to build a permanent roof over a courtyard while still allowing natural light into an existing restaurant and to open up the existing space to the new with a bar servicing both stand up and table customers.

The opportunity of inventing a new glass roof structure seemed too good to miss, in spite of the automatic problems of budget, waterproofing, heat loss and solar protection! Somehow we thought that the support structure for the glass could be used to provide shade and reflect light for the seating area below. The simple gesture of making huge (but thin) plywood beams to frame the glass – like a giant horizontal brise-soleil proved to be the solution ………..”